A few of us gals where discussing this question at the last horse show when we witnessed a few of the horses that usually do quite well get quite "pissy" with their owners and not do as well as we've seen them do so we were just wondering if showing every weekend (like on Sundays at the local shows) can cause a horse to start to "hate" being shown? And if so, what is a good guideline or is there even one? Guess it depends on the horse?

Thank you for your insights on this....one of those "I wonder if...."

I agree, I would think that horses would get tired of it.  Some horses love it and thrive on it but I would imagine that every horse needs a break every once in a while.  That said, there isn't a set rule. Each horse is different and it would take some time to figure out.

Yes, horses "burnout", and have preferences, too.  My daughter's horse LIKES big shows, and HATES local shows!  He likes shows with covered or indoor arenas.  Overnight shows where he gets a stall.  He hates day shows where he has to tie up next to the trailer, has no "down time" in his stall, out in the sun all day.

I guess he's telling us we either gotta go for the big ones, or forget it!  LOL!!!

 2k10h

Horses need mental relief. All horses that have a "job" need to be ridden outside of their training. Taking horses down trails and letting them see different things help. Or just turning them out in a pasture for a couple months sometimes. A lot of times they come back stronger. They get bored doing the same thing. The horse mentioned above probably likes big shows cause all the activity also. All horses are different but they all have one thing in common. They all need mental relief. Thats one of the number one reason why horses act up at the rodeos I go to. People only do barrels, rope, etc. The horses start to realize the arena means work so they try to avoid it. I take my horses to rodeos almost every other weekend and my gelding started acting up so I stopped using him to give him a break. It wasn't that he needed more training. It was that he simply needed time off. And I ride him outside of my rodeos. But after 2 or 3 shows he started doing things out of the normal. Its always good to use more than one horse to show if you like to show a lot. And regulate when you use them. If you know one horse is good but doesn't like to show as often as your other horse then only show him one show to the other horses two shows. You aren't going to do good at your shows if the horse isn't into it. If they really don't want to do it no amount of training will fix it. They will keep throwing a fit until you let up on the pressure.

It would be really funny if you tried to tell the people that had horses acting up what you have learned on this forum. They would probably get mad at you and act like they don't see your point. Oh well! That means you will be beating them. LOL!

 Sure they can be shown too much. Or maybe the correct term would be overworked..  My qh Abe is living proof. He won HUS as a 3 yr old at Congress. Never did much after that to be honest. He got to refusing to go into the arena with the "owners".  Of course the trainers could do it, usually.. ;) And he became a "stall walker" circle circle circle over an over..   

Anyway, he's a happy pasture tater nowadays right here in my big ol pasture.    Works for us.. lol

 yep i agree with all of yall that horses get burntout. im a really competitive shower (you know  the whole point chase thing)  and what  i have to do is take my horses that im showing alot out on some trails and let them have fun!  it really seems to kind of refresh them and they are much more focused back at work. especially my one horse dory i have to get together with a bunch of my wild friends and race! ha ha i  always win! 

but then there is the whole topic of when you show your horse every weekend for a while how it takes a toll on their joints and things. although i havnt looked to see what kind of riding your doing but i do hunter jumper and pounding your horses legs into the ground and jumping can really take a toll on their joints.